How do YOU keep your stamp collection?

[tomd]

You just received a box of 3,000 stamps, either world wide or you specific collecting interest.

What do you do with them?

I am curious because I was wondering if I am getting lost in the details.

[zepherusbane]

I would sort them by country, then sort out duplicates that I already had, then mount any ones I didn't already have in my albums for the countries I've already started albums for, then store the non-duplicates for those countries I haven't yet started albums for in country specific glassine envelopes.

[tomd]

The reason I ask is because I think I might be getting to detailed with each stamp?

[zepherusbane]

Aug 11, 2015 20:30:57 GMT -5 tomd said:

The reason I ask is because I think I might be getting to detailed with each stamp?

I don't think there is a right or wrong way to collect.  

I feel there's no such thing as "too detailed" if you enjoy it.

[khj]

I eagerly do a quick sort/ID. I sort them on pieces of cardboard that I can quickly stack up and store back into the box. After doing my good deed for the week, I leave it on my desk to admire my work. The next day, I put them gingerly back in the box/bin, on top of past boxes/bins. Eventually to be integrated into my core collection.

A month later, I accidentally kick over the stack of boxes/bins.

I pick one box, and spend the week sorting & IDing again. This time I tell myself I'm going to put some of the stamps directly into my collection instead of into the box. I breath a sigh of relief at my wisdom. The breath promptly blows away 25% of the stamps across the desk and also onto the floor.

I scoop up the lumps of stamps strewn across the desk and dump them in a sad pile on one of the cardboard pieces.

I proceed to bend over and pick up the loose stamps on the rug with my bare fingers (not much point in using stamp tongs now). I congratulate myself on my good fortune of still having the majority of stamps still sorted on the cardboard panels.

As I get up and turn on my chair to face my desk again, my waist catches a bit of cardboard panel jutting out and my shirt promptly slides the entire cardboard stack off the desk and onto the floor. Fortunately, the trash can is there to break the fall. Unfortunately, half the stamps fall into the trash can.

I'm so shocked, that I drop the stamps that I had picked up from the rug -- back onto the rug they go.



Repeat that MANY times over the decades.

That is how I developed my skills in stamp identification. Practice makes perfect.

[tomd]

I can say I have done the same thing.

I get every this so perfect, so organized, so proud of it all,

THEN

I sneeze

[khj]

Yeah done that. I might add cough, as well. The sneeze is really bad on mint stamps.

[khj]

In the computer age, I now do type in my IDs directly into a computer file. So even if it does get messed up, at least I'll have notes on the tough ones.

Of course, if I drop my laptop...

I actually did that once -- it did a 90 off the table and landed on a corner, cracking a hinge. Still works, so far...

[khj]

But seriously, I am one of those who enjoys sorting and IDing stamps more than I enjoy mounting them.

I prefer getting my oily paws on them, rather than view them through plastic film.

[samb]

I'm going to sort through them really fast, getting the stamps I know I will be keeping based on the countries that I collect. The rest are going to club meeting or given away to someone here. I am not the type of collector that will spend hrs on each stamp trying to ID it. I might be giving high $ stamps away, but I enjoy it.

[Deleted]

That's more or less what I would do. Sort into countries, discarding any in really bad condition. Stamps I definitely don't collect go into a giveaway set of glassines or stockbook, organised by country. The rest, over time, I sort into years and mount. I don't catalogue what I have, but I use printed albums for worldwide to 1930 and British Commonwealth QV to KG VI, and mainly Steiner pages for later stamps, so it's easy to see gaps. I try not to breathe much when I am sorting stamps, as breath turns order into disorder, so I may drop dead any time. Stamp-sorting is a suicidal occupation,   My hay fever is lethal.

[cbavier]

I don't have that problem, usually. I only collect U.S. and Canadian so all the rest go into a plastic sandwich bag to give away.